My 8 E-books written over the years by Alina Udrea - HTML preview

Chapter 10: Battle plans

⦁ So Scholar, how far is the Wall? Asked Scar. Scholar took a step forward shyly and answered in a low voice: ⦁ It is almost done on the southern and western sides of Lir. On the eastern and northern sides it is just half way built, my lord. ⦁ It will have to do. Any other inventions you’ve been working on, Scholar? Or just this wall… please say you didn’t spend all the money Noah gave on a single invention…

⦁ There is one more thing, answered Scholar while examining the new faces in the room, finding one particularly beautiful. He was looking at Hizzy while he spoke, trying to get her to notice him. ⦁ Speak up man! Burst Harry eagerly. ⦁ I can’t take all the credit for this second invention as I had some help in developing it, Scholar went on when he was abruptly interrupted again, by Olek this time.

⦁ Who cares about that? All that matters is to be something useful and to work. So what is it?

⦁ Knowing that Ulo is the best trapper of the land I asked for his advice to set some traps, not to rely only on a defensive wall. And Scholar felt a bit irritated by Olek’s words as he had cut him short earlier and he wanted to impress the new girl.

⦁ Should be fun then, said Mongo with a cunning smile. Ulo can also be very inventive so let’s hear it!

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⦁ OK, the trap works like this: when the enemy has breached the front gates, they will be in for a surprise. Once they step foot on the ground beyond the gates, they will fall in a deep pit through the ground which is only put on planks above the pits, masking them. The beauty of it is the fact that the planks are designed to swallow them so to say, letting them fall into the pit and then the planks are pulled back up with the same decoy ground on them, ready to send the next wave of unaware enemies into the pits which by the way are filled with very long and sharp metal spikes so whoever falls down there surely won’t get up anymore. Some of them will walk on the ground above the planks until the planks will give in to their weight and will let them fall next to the others.

⦁ And what happens when the pit gets full? Asked Mean. ⦁ When it reaches a certain level, then an iron slab will automatically be switched on, closing them in the pit for eternity or for how long you want, your highness, answered Scholar proud of himself. ⦁ Sounds good I guess, said Scar pondering. So we have an unfinished wall and a pit of metal spikes.

⦁ And don’t forget about us, added Alyss, your soldiers. We should win this, my king. And if we don’t and this is our final battle and we die here, then it won’t matter anymore anyway, right? ⦁ Yeah, but let this be their final battle, not ours, said Scar. ⦁ Well, they died once, they will die again, for good this time, mumbled Mean who was very upset about having been forced to abandon his throne.

⦁ I want Alyss to lead the archers, to supervise them. Every archer be up on the wall, quivers full and ready to shoot. Also I want them to have their arrows imbued with oiled cloth set ablaze before shooting them. We have to burn them to stop them.

⦁ Yes my king, answered Alyss.

⦁ And I want you Mongo to set the undead on fire from the sky, with Aggy.

⦁ Wouldn’t have it any other way, Scar. Aggy can hardly wait to cook some undead butts.

⦁ Mean, Bratty, you will use whatever spells you know to dwindle their numbers. Scholar, you will make sure your wall and your traps work properly. You can take Ulo with you if you both worked on those

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traps.

⦁ Yes, your majesty, answered Scholar and Ulo. ⦁ Harry, Olek and Adi and Neon, you will fight side by side with the rest of the soldiers, commanding them and inspiring them to be just as brave as you are! Scar went on giving out orders. ⦁ What about me? Asked Miiah pouting, pretending to be upset for not having been included in the battle plans.

⦁ You, my darling, answered Scar, will do what you best: heal our wounded soldiers. It will be an epic battle so there will be many who will need your help, Miiah.

⦁ Yes, said Miiah, and Hizzy can help me with the wounded. She can change their bandages, clean their wounds and so on. Is this ok with you, Hizzy?

⦁ Of course, my lady, answered Hizzy while starting to love Miiah because Miiah, unlike her old masters, always asked for her opinion, never forced her to do anything. And she also paid her for her services which had never happened before with her old masters. ⦁ So everybody knows what he has to do? Asked Scar making sure that everyone knew what he or she was supposed to do when the time came. Scar was the best king when it came to strategy. Donn had never had a better tactician than Scar before. In spite of his young age, he was the smartest of the Kings that had ever ruled Donn. He knew when to push forward just as well as he knew when it was time to retreat and fight another day when the odds would be in his favor again.

⦁ Yep, all clear, said Mongo to reassure Scar that everything was clearly understood.

⦁ One more thing, said Scar with a sly smile, from now on we have a few more generals among our ranks besides Harry… Olek, Adi, Neon, Mongo and Alyss! Congratulations to all! Now get going!

Everyone left the room in a hurry and headed for their assigned

posts. The tension, the waiting was almost unbearable. Everyone’s nerves were on edge. They were all wondering whether they would make it this time too. Nobody was expecting another war so soon, they were finally enjoying life when this new threat came like lighting on them.

Alyss gathered all the archers and made sure that they knew what

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they had to do, reminding them to send the arrows ablaze towards the enemy, to set them on fire. If they used common arrows, those would only pierce the undead and that would be useless as they were immune to any pain. They had to be destroyed.

Soon the outer wall, Scholar’s wall which was surrounding the city

of Lir, Donn’s capital where Scar and Miiah had their residence, was teeming with archers. They were waiting patiently at their posts for the enemy to arrive and the battle to begin. Alyss was just as nervous as they were but she was trying her best to hide it. She knew she was the one they looked up to so she had to be brave, to be their inspiration. All archers were under her direct command so she wanted to make them proud because she was indeed the most skilled of all.

Harry, Olek, Neon and Adi were standing fearless in front the

armies, people they grew up with, people they were friends with, people who might die in the coming battle against the crazy shaman and his undead army. Harry, as he was the king’s general, felt it was his duty to hold a speech in front of the armies:

⦁ You, said Harry pointing his hand towards the army, you are the last hope for the battle to come. Loyalis is already under the shaman’s control, only a few of the people managed to fled and hide in the woods. If we fall, then all is lost! But we won’t fall! We are the best warriors on the face of the realm, best than the ones before us and better than the ones to come! We fight for freedom, for our loved ones’ lives, for all there is and that is to come and for our future! For our children’s future! If we fail, they will have no future, they will either be the shaman’s slaves or killed by his army! We fight for Donn and Loyalis, we fight for our families and friends! When Harry finished his speech, tears were rolling in the corner of his eyes. He too had been inspired by his own words.

All soldiers applauded Harry. They were good honest people, trying

to make Donn a safe place for their children and their children’s children. They were all ready to die to defend Donn, to protect each other. They were hard trained warriors, used to hardships and to what a battle meant. They knew there was no room for mistakes or hesitations, one tiny slip or a moment of being distracted could cost them their lives.

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Harry decided to divide the armies into four equal troops, each lead by one of them, by himself, by Adi, Neon and Olek. This way each of them was responsible for his own soldiers and orders were given as well as followed easier.

Olek and Harry were used to commanding troops but for Adi and

Neon, it was something new, it made them feel important but at the same time responsible for each life that was under their command. They decided for each one of the four to take his assigned soldiers and defend one side of Lir: Harry the Northern side, Olek the Southern side, Adi went to defend the Western side and Neon the East side. All they had to do now was wait. Their wait wouldn’t be a long one.